Patterson, Mackey, McNamara & Geubelle advance to Sunday's finals at Olympic Trials...

EUGENE--One throw was all Vancouver's Kara Patterson needed to take to advance to Sunday's javelin finals as day six of eight at the US Olympic Track & Field trials concluded Friday afternoon at Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus.

In her one toss, Patterson, the four-time USA and defending Olympic Trials champ tossed the spear 198-5 (60.49m), a new 2012 season best.

“I felt good, really good. Technically I wanted it a little better. I have been working on relaxing in practice.”

“I had the practice of my life last week, it’s going really great. That was a seasons best Friday too so I feel good going into the finals.”

Seattle Pacific's Brittany Aanstad did not fare very well, as the newly minted NCAA Division II champ only threw 148-4 (45.23m) in her first senior national championship meet.

In the women's 1500, Washington alum Katie Mackey (left/photo by Paul Merca) advanced to Sunday's final by finishing third in heat 2 of the semifinals, running 4:10.54.

Reigning NCAA champ Katie Flood of the Huskies was a non qualifying eighth in heat 1, running 4:11.39, as no collegians made the finals.

In the men's 1500, Auburn-Riverside alum Jordan McNamara did not run a tactically sound race, but was saved by the fact that his heat was the faster of the two semifinal races (top 5 plus 2 fastest), as he got the last spot in the finals, finishing seventh in his heat in 3:42.77 to advance to Sunday's final.

In the men's 400 hurdles, Washington State alum Jeshua Anderson, who did not look particularly sharp in the first round on Thursday, was exposed in his semifinal Thursday, finishing last in 53.15, in great contrast to the 2011 season, which he capped with a NCAA and USA national championship.

Anderson has battled a hamstring problem all spring and raced sparingly in the run up to the Trials.

University Place resident Andrea Geubelle, competing for the University of Kansas, had the tenth best mark in the long jump, leaping 21-3 1/2 (6.49m) to advance to Sunday's final.

Washington alum Jordan Boase was entered in the men's 200, but was a late scratch.

No athletes with Washington ties are competing Saturday, the penultimate day of the trials. Patterson, Mackey, McNamara, and Geubelle all return on Sunday to close out the meet.

Complete day six results are available via usatf.org.

Comments